Mariners add a veteran catcher for roster depth going into spring training.
About 20 minutes after speaking to the media at the Mariners’ pre-spring training luncheon and hinting that only minor roster moves would be made going into spring training, general manager Jerry Dipoto stayed true to his words.
The Mariners claimed veteran catcher Tuffy Gosewisch off of waivers and added him to the 40-man roster. To make room for Gosewisch, right-handed pitcher Jonathan Aro was designated for assignment.
Gosewisch, 33, was previously claimed off waivers by the Braves in November. He spent his big league career with the Diamondbacks, playing in 126 big league games. He’s a career .199 hitter with a .513 on-base plus slugging percentage. He played in 33 games with Arizona in 2016, hitting .156 with a double, a triple, a homer and seven RBI. He began the season with Class AAA Reno, hitting .342 with 12 doubles, a triple, nine homers and 26 RBI in 58 games. He’s well traveled through the minor league ranks, having played in four different organizations.
The move was to create additional roster depth at catcher. Gosewisch has one minor league option left, giving the Mariners some options when they have to designate Jesus Sucre for assignment at the end of spring training. Sucre is out of minor league options and will have to be DFA if he doesn’t make the opening day roster.
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Aro, 26, pitched in one game for the M’s last season. He made 24 appearances with Class AAA Tacoma last season, posting a 3-2 record with a save and 2.48 ERA. He was acquired last offseason from the Red Sox along with Wade Miley in the trade that sent Carson Smith and Roenis Elias to Boston.